Winter's back to Brooklyn
by Camilia04
Summary: When the Winter Soldier goes back to Brooklyn, looking for his past, his path crosses with Layla's. Lost and lonely, he can't ignore how being able to smile again feels like. Bucky Barnes's second chance, he will find more than what he was looking for, he will find something (or better said, someone) that he never had but always needed.
1. Chapter 1

"_And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, _

_And when nobody waits for you in the night,_

_And when you can do whatever you want,_

_How do you call it?_

_Freedom or loneliness?"_

When Margaret asked me to cover her shift at the homeless shelter during Christmas Eve, I knew I couldn't refuse: I was the only one without a family to spend the night with.

I was already cleaning up when a cold breeze made me tremble. There was a man leaning on the door frame, hooded and all dressed in black. He crawled to the nearest table, without saying a world.

_Please, please, please, make me end this shift without problems. _

I took a deep breath and tried to approach him, but he didn't look like he noticed me. He was holding his head, whispering something through his teeth.

"Hi, would you like something to eat?" I asked softly, but he wasn't listening. For the little I could see of his face, he looked in pain, I felt useless. Then I had an idea.

"Take this, I'll give you something to eat in a minute" he suddenly started looking at me, my heart skipped a beat. He had the most beautiful and deep eyes I've never seen. He stared at my hand, the one that was giving him a little envelop of aspirin. He seemed confused and wary, but he took it.

When I went back to the kitchen, I could feel his blue eyes staring at my back.

After that night, I haven't seen him again.

Ending up late wasn't that bad, even though it was New Year's Eve. I closed the food bank as soon as I could, happy that I still had ten minutes before the fireworks.

I knew about a wonderful bench on a hill, in a park not far away from there. In five minutes I was there, I sat on the bench by myself, surrounded by darkness and peace.

I could hear people having fun from the nearby pubs, and I couldn't help by feeling miserable.

When I moved to Brooklyn, I left behind me everything I knew, everything I had, but either way I couldn't feel at home.

The countdown started, I raised my eyes at the sky.

_Three…_

The noise of broken glasses made me jump.

_Two…_

Male voices where approaching me.

_One…_

Colored fountains of light brightened the sky above me, now I could see two huge men pointing at me. I got up from the bench immediately, trying to run away, but one of them threw himself on me, making us both fall down from the hill. My head was spinning around, I tried to get up as soon as I could but they kicked me on the head, making me cry of pain. My forehead was burning as hell, I could feel blood running from it. Somebody got me up holding me from my harm; it was one of the two predators. The smell of alcohol in his breath couldn't let me breathe. He started laughing,

His grip on my harm was hurting me.

"Ya can't start New Year without a kiss, can ya?" He started pushing me over his body, his face terribly close to mine.

"I'd rather fucking die" I kicked him before trying to ran away, but they were two and huge, and I was helpless.

Before I could even realize it, I was on the ground again gasping for air every time one of them would kick me.

The edges of my view started darkening; I could feel myself slipping away. Then everything stopped. I heard two thuds then silence.

I froze for a couple of seconds, trying just to focus on my breath and on the sounds around me, but everything was quiet, I started getting up slowly, my head and my stomach was hurting as hell.

"Hey! Is everything alright?" in the darkness I could see a couple running in my direction and they were wearing…costumes?

"I…I think…I'm…" I couldn't find the words, my eyes were running from the boy and the girl in costumes to the two men fainted on the floor. The girl, that had beautiful short red hair and a leather suit, watched them with disgust.

"Such a couple of bastards…"

"Nat, language!" she laughed.

"Yeah, grandpa…" the blonde guy that was with her smiled embarrassed at me.

"I'm sorry, dear. How are you feeling? There were…just the _two _of them? Did somebody else attacked you?" I blinked for a couple of seconds. Blond guy here was Capitan America?

"Yes, just…just the two of them" I turned to the two animals on the ground, still unconscious, then something caught my attention: a green and white consumed envelop of an aspirin. I kept staring at it, I knew damn well where I had seen that aspirin before.

The reddish girl looked at me concerned, one eyebrow up.

"Is everything okay?" I leaned to take the little envelop, holding it tight in my hand.

"Yes"

Trying to lose Capitan America wasn't an easy task, especially when I didn't really know If I wanted to get rid of the one that was supposed to be my best friend since 1941.

I wasn't ready yet.

I didn't want him to see me in this way.

I was getting better day by day, my memories were getting back and the blackout were decreased, but still I was way too messed up to show up to Steve again.

"I would rather die" I froze immediately when I heard this voice, I knew her, and I didn't like how scared it seemed. I started running through the dark park, trying to find her.

It took me three seconds to bit the hell out of those bastards.

I could feel my blood boiling in my veins, anger all over me. She was laying down, trembling, her face on the ground.

My body was still tensed, anger burning me, but I knew he was getting closer. That Steve, always there when a lady needs help.

I disappeared, like I had to learn to, but this time it was different. This time, I looked back.

*Hi everybody! I would like to say that English is not my first language, I've just studied it at school, so please feel free to correct any part of the chapter!

This is kinda a challenge for me, so I would really like to know your opinion!

Big hugs


	2. Chapter 2

_There's a stranger in my bed, he just tried to kill me._

_A stranger._

_But I know him, he saved me last night._

_A stranger._

_He tried to kill me._

_Who is he?_

After new year's eve, my headaches were killing me. I spent all week in bed, in pain, hating the world and the migraines.

I woke up exhausted, dragging along the bathroom, desperately looking for an aspirin. I reached the cupboard beneath the sink, finding the aspirin box, empty.

"…shit".

Sighing I went out in the freeze, directed to the pharmacy. The winter breeze that was rustling my face was cold, but it made me feel like my broken lip and my bruised chin were on fire, giving me a mixture of pain and pleasure. I kept going under the snowflakes, holding in my hand an old envelope of aspirin, the one that I found on the grass, my new lucky charm.

A reddish sunset were already painting Brooklyn's sky. I never thought of Brooklyn as a dangerous city, but I couldn't help feeling like my stomach was in a vice.

I had been feeling observed all my way home.

I kept looking around, looking behind me, ma none but me was walking in the street. I sighed frustrated, shaking my head.

"Not going to the doc to check if the hallucinations are back, so keep it together!"

I just turned right the corner when I saw the red headed girl waiting me just in front my house.

I slowly reached her, one highbrow up.

"How did you…" she blinked at me, making me sign to stay silent. Then she just smiled, watching the black wooded door of my apartment and then me.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah…sure"

Five minutes later I was with a stranger in my house, not really sure why I even let her in.

Her smile disappeared in seconds and she looked me dead in the eyes, arms crossed to her chest.

"How do you know the Winter Soldier?" her voice was low and soft, but I could tell how dangerous she could be if she wanted. But still, I had no idea of what she was talking about.

"Excuse me?" I whispered. I could see the inner fight in her, scanning me like she could read in me. Her highbrows relaxed.

"Have you ever heard about the Avengers?" she smiled.

"Well, kind of…we don't really have super heroes in Europe" I answered, sceptic.

She giggled, but in zero seconds, she was serious again.

"You know, I shouldn't tell you..."

_Then why are you talking? _

"Steve and I… we are looking for someone, someone really important"

_Good, and?_

"It's _really_ important that we find him before others do" I raised my eyebrow, starting to get upset. If there was something I hated, was people talking without getting straight to the point. She stayed silence, watching right into me.

"So? Are you expecting me to ask you who are you talking about?"

"Aren't you curious?"

"Does it really matter? You wouldn't have started the story if you didn't want to tell me something" she giggled.

"Well, for now, you just have to know that there's a shadow following you. Here, this is Jarvis's number" she handled me a piece of paper, with a little telephone number written on it.

"if you find our lost shadow, please call."

"But…"

She started walking away, I was astonished and confused, and still my head was killing me.

"Take care, and stay out of troubles"

_What…the hell?_


	3. Chapter 3

_I must have lost my mind._

Two days after Natasha's visit, I was in the street, alone, a silver necklace with two old tags in my hand.

Apparently, the reddish spy dropped them at my house the days she came.

I took a deep breathe; the winter breeze was making me tremble a little. The neighborhood was silent, still under a thick layer of snow. I cleared my voice, the metal tags in my hand.

"James Buchanan Barnes?" I read out loud, no answers.

_Of course, idiot. _

"James…? James Buchanan Barnes? 3255 7038… James Bucha-" before realizing it, before catching my breath again, my body was cast against the brick wall behind me.

The hit stole my breath and something cold tightening my neck wasn't letting me having it back.

I gasped for air.

The edges of my eyes were darkening but I could see two angry, cold blue eyes.

"James…James…" his hand around my neck was tightening while my consciousness was slipping away.

I had just a few seconds and one last breath.

My mind started snapping fast through my memories, showing me my first apartment, my mom's smiling face, the dark grey sea of my homeland, _the Capitan America's file that Natasha gave me that night._

I whispered "Buck?"

I fell heavily to the ground, coughing and massaging my throat.

My lungs were burning and my head turning.

He stepped backward "I…what did I…" he was going to run away, I had just a moment.

"Hey…Bucky? Bucky. Stay with me. Stay. Look, look I'm fine" helping myself with the wall behind me I stood up, my legs were shaking. I tried smiling at him, but his eyes were shocked and his face was pale.

"My name is Layla, you can trust me" I held out my hand, he made another step back.

I could see, I could _feel _the inner fight in him. His features were tight, his forehead so tensed, but his look. His look hit me right in the gut. There were something so deep and so visceral about his pain, something so heavy. His lost blue eyes where jumping from an emotion to another. I could almost hear the chaos that was clearly scrabbling his thoughts and mind, but there was something more, something that glued my feet on the ground right in front of him, that made me stay and not run despite the sharp pain over all my body that he caused.

_Dammit. Okay, one last try. _

I took a deep breath and I showed him an old, ruined, white and green envelope of aspirin that I pulled out of my pocket. Something clicked in him as soon as he saw it.

"See? We're friends" He's mouth opened to answer but his body couldn't resist any more.

His knees gave up.

_Shit!_

I cough him just in time. His breath was fast, uncoordinated; he was trying his best to stay up.

"Alright, we can make it" I said through my teeth.

I put his arm around my neck, trying my best to keep him up.

_I must be crazy… _

I took a step, then another, gaining slowly more and more balance;

We started walking quietly, slowly, under Brooklyn's snowflakes.

"Don't worry James, we are gonna make it…we are going home. I got you"

Hi!

All right, I have to say it: sorry for the really short chapters, I would write more but working as a barista gives me really short free time. As you know, my first languages isn't English so I would really appreciate if you correct me or something! I need to know if what I write its clear as it would be if read in my language oh and if you like it, or you like some parts in particular, please let me know, it keeps me motivated!

Bisous!


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha Romanov never had to care about men paying attention to her, they always did.

Always.

With her big brown eyes and breath taking body, everyone was bewitched by her beauty, everyone, but him.

She grinned amused; he was so similar to Steve.

"Nat, are you even listening?" the blond Capitan was in front of her, arms crossed and highbrow raised.

His face was clearly tensed, Natasha's heart broke a little seeing how concerned his blue eyes were. She sighed, taking another bite of her red velvet piece of cake.

"He's fine, Steve. F.R.I.D.A.Y. is monitoring every police station, every hospital, and every morgue in the states. Trust me on this, he's safe and sound" Steve eyes became even sadder; he joined her at the kitchen island, taking a spoon and trying Nat's cake. He grinned.

"What the heck are you eating, Natasha Romanov!"

Waking up in the last seventy years has never been fun and games for the Winter Soldier.

Every time that they got him up it was terrible, so terrible that he couldn't tell which was worst: being frozen to almost death or being waken up to face death.

But this time it was different.

This time, something scratchy was licking his nose.

He opened his eyes immediately, just to see two big, yellow ones staring at him.

A grey nose was sniffing his face, meowing softly.

He woke up silently, sitting straight on the bed he was leaning on.

The room was in the darkness; just a few sunrays were shining through the blinders.

It was cozy and still, simply decorated.

As far as he could see, the walls were painted in lilac and decorated by some little flower plants.

There was a little desk under the window, a library in the corner and a big mirror just in front of the bed.

His cold blue eyes stared his reflection, the derelict of a man.

His pale face was frozen in a blank expression, his eyes, so tired and lost, were unreadable.

He stood up slowly, making his way to the half-open door.

His nerves were tensed, the metal plates of his left arm were flickering.

Not making a sound, he kept walking, ready to attack.

Hydra always looked for creative ways to trick and torture him, a grey cat and some pink walls wouldn't have been enough to make him lose his guard.

He made it through the short corridor, ending up in a little kitchen.

The first thing that hit him, was the sweet perfume of roasted turkey and baked potatoes, making his mouth water.

He scanned the room, looking for weapons or hydra agents, but all he could see was a tall, skinny girl standing up in front the burners singing in a low voice.

Her dark, curly hair was collected in a loose high bun, giving him the chance to see her face.

It was she, the girl from the diner.

His metal arm relaxed, but the beating of his heart was so frenetic that he was surprised that she didn't hear it yet.

His thoughts were confused, but his legs were insisting to go and reach her.

That moment, that was his opportunity to just turn back and leave, leave her alone.

He could have made it easily from the window, but he stood up frozen in his spot, his legs refusing to work.

He knew, he knew that staying there were terribly wrong, that he still had a chance to make the right thing, to protect that kind stranger and leave her alone.

He was still chasing his thoughts when a loud, sleepy meow from behind him revealed his position.

"Flora, fa' silenzio o lo sveglier…" her words died in her mouth as she turned to the kitchen door, finding a 6"8 feet soldier staring at her. She blinked surprised.

They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity, breathing slowly.

None of them made a move.

Bucky's expression was blank, but new wandering thoughts filled his mind.

The fact that her eyes didn't look terrified and that her expression wasn't twisted by fear was something new for him; on the contrary, her lineaments were relaxed as she studied him cautiously.

She bit distractedly her lower lip before talking.

"I'm…well, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you" the grey, tiny cat reached her, climbing on her body 'till her shoulders. It laid easily, licking the right ear of her owner.

Bucky kept staring at her, not knowing what to say.

She was beautiful, and her voice was so kind and soft. She couldn't be HYDRA, his mind couldn't imagine her in any of their business, but yet he was stuck.

She wrinckled her forehead, hew big brown eyes still on him.

"Who am I talking to, The Winter Soldier or James Barnes?"

He grunted softly, his word slipping out of his mouth before even realizing it.

"If I was the Winter Soldier now, we wouldn't even have this conversation, Doll"

Her expression softened in an amused smile, even though an annoying voice in her mind kept telling her that she was being ridiculously unwise.

She pointed a seat at the kitchen island with the wooden spoon that she was using to cook.

"Well, not-Winter-Soldier, I hope you're hungry" Her eyes followed his figure as he reached it silently.

She served him the turkey with the baked potatoes and sat down in front of him, watching him curiously, as he stared at his full plate.

"What's wrong?" he didn't seem to have heard her, his blue eyes were still scanning the potatoes. She sighed softly, stretching over the kitchen island to spear one of the vegetables with her fork before eating it.

He looked so much like her brother.

"See? No poison, now eat before Flora does" she pointed at the cat that was slowly trying to reach their plates, she didn't have to say it twice. They eat silently, staring occasionally at each other, surrounded by a peaceful atmosphere that made Sergeant Barnes really feel, for a fleeting instant, like a "Not-Winter-Soldier".

She knew that keep staring at him was terribly rude, but she really couldn't help it.

She studied every inch of his body, every lineament of his face.

His skin was pale, and his eyes tired. They were vigil and way less terrified that the ones that she saw the night before, when he attacked her.

_He is…beautiful._

"Are you still hungry?" she asked with a soft smile, pointing at his empty plate.

"You know, you can have mine. I don't really like turkey" she split their plates, giving him hers that was practically full. He frowned, his eyes looking at the turkey and then at her.

"Why you cooked it, then?" he asked, genuinely curios.

"Well…" she felt her cheeks burning on fire. James noticed as she bite her lower lip again before speaking.

"Well, I didn't know what you would have liked, so I tried with what I thought being a traditional American meal" She pulled a curl behind her right ear, biting her lower lip again.

"Actually, I don't really know if it's traditional or not, but that's what I've always seen in the movies…" she sighed embarrassed, covering her face with one hand.

"I'm just realizing how much ridiculous this sound"

"No, it's…fine" he smiled a little, she looked at him through her fingers.

James looked at her in her eyes, a little smile still painted on his face.

"Thank you."

_Hi everybody!_

_So, I'm being more and more insecure as much as I keep writing, but here I am. If you have any suggest or comment, please let me know!_


	5. Chapter 5

Losing control of her actions never ended up good for her; last time she did, she had to leave everything she knew and fly to the other part of the world, in America. But this time, when the result of her last impulsive decision was staring at her from her kitchen's door, she had nothing to regret.

Millions of thoughts were rushing in her mind while she was looking at him eating.

Lots and lots of question unanswered bothered her.

_Why are you doing this?_

"Why are you doing this?" his voice snapped her out of her thoughts, she had to blink a couple of times before realizing that he was actually talking to her and that that wasn't just a product of her head.

She reflected on which answer give him, looking at him in his eyes.

They were different from the ones of the night before. Their blue and grey color was so much brighten, so distinct from the cold dead gaze that he had; despite it, they were watchful and suspicious.

She sighed loudly.

"Trust me on this, I have no idea" she said honestly, he raised an highbrow up.

"Do you always invite deadly killers in?"

"Do you see other deadly killers in the house, despite you?" he looked at her, his blank expression even more serious.

She had to stop a hysterical laugh.

"_I'm definitely getting crazy"_

He seemed to catch it, his expression softened a little.

"So, you know who I am" he stated, his lips were a straight line.

She shrugged her shoulders, petting Flora (her cat) who jumped on her legs.

"I know who the world _think_ you are, I don't know _you" _he didn't answer.

His eyes were fixed on her, trying to read her, looking for something that they wouldn't have found.

She couldn't blame him.

Reading about all the tortures that those HYDRA inflected on him made her feel miserable, made her feel sick. There were tapes and descriptions, and overall his expression could tell it all.

This man walked through hell, and her heart broke every time that her eyes rested on him.

She couldn't help to sight, and she knew that her smile must have looked so sad and full of pity to him.

"My name is Layla, and I'm just on ordinary girl, alright?" she started, he nodded.

"They are looking for you" he grinned sadly, he sure did know that.

"Who, HYDRA?" he asked, sarcastic. She woke up and reached him, giving him a small memory stick.

"Don't know about HYDRA, but Capitan America and Natasha Romanov they sure are" His expression darkened as she mentioned Steve. He looked at the memory stick in his fingers; he didn't have to ask to know who gave her that.

She took a chair and sat next to him, hugging her legs against her chest and resting her head on the top of her knees.

She kept staring at him silently, waiting for his reaction.

He let go the memory stick and looked at her seriously.

"Then what's your next move, Layla? Do you want to bring me to justice? Did they promise you something in return?" He didn't know why, but the idea of Layla reaching him just for that purpose upset him.

Not that he expected someone to be kind with him, but the idea of being treated like a person and not like a criminal gave him some kind of hope that was eating him alive.

She looked at him in a blank expression, that gaze made him feel so uncomfortable.

He knew well that she was studying him, trying to catch every facet of his, and that was new for him.

Since he woke up the very first time as the Winter Soldier, every look that he received was filled with anger, hate or desperation.

"Can I call you James?" she asked him out of the blue, titling her head as she asked him.

He frowned confused, his mind focusing on how soft his name were out of her lips.

He nodded ad her, making her smile.

"Well, James, you have been sleeping for nearly twelve hours in a pink bed without any type of protection. Natasha knows where I live and she sure knows that now you are with me, here; if they wanted to take you, they would have already tried."

She bite her lower lip before continuing, looking at him in search of any kind of reaction on his face.

"But it's not about what they want or what I want, it's about you," she lowered her eyes, not sure if she should ask him or not.

He still was a stranger _and _an assassin after all, but the words came out of her mouth before she could change her mind.

"you can…stay, if you want; do you?" he froze.

Was that a trap?

Her voice was just a whisper, but he heard her clearly. He managed to keep his expression blank, but his heart was beating again ferociously against his chest.

"Yes" he said in a deep voice, not looking at her.

"Maybe for a day or two"


	6. Chapter 6

It took Bucky a few days to adjust to Layla's presence, but he was quite surprised to notice how naturally it came to him.

She let him his spaces, yet always aware of his needing.

One morning, when she left for work at 5 am, when Bucky woke up, he found a large box on the kitchen island with a yellow post-it on it.

"_Good morning princess; I'll be back this evening. I made you pizza, it's in the oven. Keys are near the door; please feed Flora. Lay" _

Bucky frowned as he kept staring at the little piece of paper.

He could almost hear her voice reading the round shaped letters. He folded it carefully and put it on the back pocket of his black jeans before his hands reached the box.

Flora jumped effortlessly on the kitchen island, meowing curious at the box.

The plates of his left arm fletched a little as he opened it slowly.

He grinned without even realizing it.

Folded carefully there were a few jumpers and jeans, all in navy blue or black shades. A few notebooks were held together with a thin string and, in a little leather pencil case, there were a few pens.

Bucky observed the pens closely; they were shiny and elegant, made with lucent colored glass.

His fingers tremble a little, his heart pounding in his chest.

He couldn't remember having something so nice, something so beautiful just for himself.

Hydra took everything from him.

Everything.

He held tight the green crystal gift in his hand, his thumb caressing it softly.

Flora meowed loudly, trying to climb the box and hide inside.

Bucky chuckled amused and pet his new furry friend, trying to distract her from the box.

-Alright then, here the box- he emptied it, finding a few books, a Brooklyn mug, some personal hygiene items and a little stuffed cat.

He went to the floor in front of the couch, his pen and stuffed animal in his hands.

His mind started wondering, the cool fingers of his metal hand caressing the soft kitten.

-Do you want to talk about it?- Layla asked with a soft smile, sat on the white carped in front of the couch, a few meters from him.

When she came from work, she found the Soldier on the floor, his back rested on the grey couch and his eyes lost in the pinky sky in front of him.

She realized that he hadn't eaten all day.

Still in her working clothes she reached him silently, Flora curled in her arms.

Bucky looked at her with a blank expression, still lost in his wonderings.

She smelled like coffee and vanilla, and Bucky had to stop the urge need to get closer and smell that curious mix.

-Why you don't keep pics on the wall?- Layla rose is highbrow up, watching him like he grew up a tail.

-Beg you pardon?-

-Your walls, they are empty- his eyes snapped through the living room, followed by the amused ones of Layla.

She gave her living room a cursory glance, as if she was sitting in her home for the really first time.

By the walls, there were flowers, old maps, postcards, pictures of big European cities, but there wasn't a trace of her.

-Is this what is bothering you?- she asked him softly, truly perplexed.

-I read the files that Natasha gave you, and I know you read them too…- his expression darkened a little, Layla nodded. He sighed.

-you know everything about me, yet I know nothing about you- it wasn't true, and he knew it.

He knew that she was always late for work, that she liked pastels and that she had a hell of a sweet tooth.

He knew that she travelled a lot, that she collected postcards and that she used to light up lavender scented candles when she was stressed out for something.

He knew that she had nightmares at night, that she had trouble breathing and that she didn't like physical contact.

He knew that she liked watching at the sky by noon, that her favorite color was lilac and that she'd get scared easily.

He knew that when she was pensive or going to say something, she bite her lower lip without even realizing it.

He knew a lot of other things about her, but he needed to find out something odd, something dark or disturbing about her that could slap him back to cold reality, that could confirm that it was all way too good to be true.

Layla looked at him with a sympathetic smile on her face before getting up.

"I'm coming back in a minute"

Back with three huge albums, Layla moved the little coffee table and sat on the fuzzy carped, right near Bucky. She gave him a plate full of slices of pizza and, with a red wine glass on her hand, she opened the first photo album.

"This is gonna be embarrassing"

When the pinky clouds outside the window started melting in dark blue shades, Layla and Bucky were still laughing and commenting the old pics. Layla's cheeks were bright pink and her eyes glassy for all the laughs. On the other hand, Bucky were so much relaxed, his eyes a little bit bright and his lips genuinely raised up in a soft smile.

"and here we were in Russia, I was fucking freezing" Layla bit her tongue the moment that she talked, she turned quickly to Bucky to see his reaction. His eyes were looking curiously at the picture, he didn't seem tense. Layla sighed in relief.

"How old you were?" he asked, snapping her back from her concern. She looked at the picture, getting a little bit closer to him.

"I was fifteen, this is the last family portrait we ever did" Bucky looked at her with the corner of his eyes, not missing the sad note in her voice. His blue eyes laid back on the happy faces of her family.

Layla was covered head to toe with warm winter clothes, her smiling face popping out a furry white hood. Her lips and her nose were bright red, her eyes happy and still childish.

By her, there was a thin tall girl. Her pale complexion so different from the olive skin of Layla.

The girl, Layla's step-sister, had a soft smile on her face and long, straight raven hair.

She looked so different from Layla and their younger brother, a five years old kid with the same, huge smile that Layla had.

Bucky turned his face to Layla, but she didn't notice him.

Her gaze was cold and her lips reduce in a straight line while she was looking at the picture.

Her eyes were so different from the one caught in the photograph, hidden by a perpetual layer of sadness.

Feeling his eyes on her, she popped a smile before starting drinking her fourth glass of wine.

Bucky turned the page gently, smiling at a seventeen years old riding a camel with wild brown curls up did in a turban.

Layla's eyes widened as she jumped on Bucky, trying to cover the picture with her hands. It didn't take much to the soldier to raise up his arm and the picture to the air, chuckling amused as she was awkwardly trying to catch her balance again and standing up from Bucky's legs.

Even redder she watched him with narrow eyes; the grin on his face became even bigger.

"I would like to have it back, thank you"

"I want the story first" he stretched his arm even higher, making Layla sigh. She was to tipsy and clumsy to have a chance to fight him and actually win. Her eyes snapped to Flora who was sleeping on her back a few pillows away. She then looked at Bucky, narrowing her eyes even more and lowering her voice as much as she could.

"I have a beast, don't make me do it" Bucky rose an highbrow up, his lips in a mischievous grin.

"I will take my chances"


End file.
